A Slice of the Raj

The elderly women are residents of the Grant Govan Memorial Homes,in old Delhi,one of the last legacies of the British Raj. An old-age home for the Anglo-Indian community,it is the only one in north India recognised by the All India Anglo Indian Association. The eight cottages in its premises house seven residents — six of them women. The lone man of the group,Stanley Rodrigues,has skipped the afternoon birthday party for some urgent work.

The peace and silence of the place betray its location — next to traffic-choked Ring Road,and near a chaotic motor parts market. The chirping of the birds and Kerry Ann Hatch,one of the residents,breaking into a song are the only two things that one hears after entering the place.

The red cottages are neatly separated by shady trees,and are guarded by round-the-clock security personnel. Each cottage comprises a room,a dressing room with an attached bathroom,and a pantry. There’s also a television,a refrigerator,a cooler and an intercom in each cottage. “These are later additions,” says Hazel Cross,a retired teacher who has been staying at Grant Govan Memorial Homes for the past 19 years.

Cross lived in Delhi’s Karol Bagh and Chennai,before coming here with her husband,who died about a decade ago. “After retirement,we got in touch with the Anglo Indian Association in Delhi that decides on eligible residents after scrutinising applications,” says Cross,as she shows us wooden wall hangings crafted by her husband and her own hand-sewn curtains and cushion covers that decorate her “home”. “I am the oldest resident in terms of years spent here. Stanley is the eldest,at 85,” she says.

Her long stay has also meant that she has seen medical emergencies and deaths in the old-age home. “A few months ago,we lost one of the residents. That’s why one of the cottages is vacant,” she says. In each cottage,only one person resides,and at any point of time,only eight people can be accommodated in the premises,says Peter Wells of the Delhi chapter of the All India Anglo Indian Association.

Grant Govan Homes was set up by British businessman and founding president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),RE Grant Govan in 1940. Today,it is funded by security company G4S as part of its corporate social responsibility,along with donations from British citizens the world over.

The day-to-day affairs are managed by Beecham,such as deciding the menu. “Also,resolving occasional bickering among the residents and even arranging shopping trips,” she says with a laugh. “My daughters stay at Rohini and visit me regularly,” she says. Beecham is originally from Allahabad,and worked for a publishing house for many years,before settling in Delhi “to be close to her daughters”. In a way,it’s also about being close to their roots. It’s a place the residents feel at home,given that they chose to stay here despite the presence of two Christian old-age homes in the vicinity.

But Hatch,the youngest resident,at 65,doesn’t want to be called a leftover of the Raj. She says,“We are Indians first. Most of us were very young when the British left.” Philomena,“her family”,agrees: “Look at the Howrah Bridge in ­Calcutta — the best legacy of the Raj,and a representative of a traditional and warm city. We Anglo Indians are somewhat like that.”